Dave Lukas, The Misfit Entrepreneur_Breakthrough Entrepreneurship

The weekly podcast with serial entrepreneur, Dave M. Lukas, devoted to giving you incredibly useful and unique insight from the world's top entrepreneurs with a focus on their non-traditional methods for achieving success, their Misfit side. Misfit was created to give YOU the breakthrough entrepreneurship strategies and actionable advice to accelerate your success! The show's open format and Misfit 3 concept, combined with Dave's intuitive and engaging interview style quickly uncover each guest's key tools, tactics, and tricks that listeners can start using in their lives right now. Learn more about the show at www.misfitentrepreneur.com and become a member of Misfit Nation by signing up for the Misfit Minute, the FREE weekly email with specific resources from the week's "Misfit 3," and actionable tips and items from the world of Misfit Entrepreneurs. It is delivered every Friday to your inbox!

The weekly podcast with serial entrepreneur, Dave M. Lukas, devoted to giving you incredibly useful and unique insight from the world's top entrepreneurs with a focus on their non-traditional methods for achieving success, their Misfit side. Misfit was created to give YOU the best, actionable advice to accelerate your success!

The show's open format and Misfit 3 concept, combined with Dave's intuitive and engaging interview style quickly uncovers each guest's key tools, tactics, and tricks that listeners can start using in their lives right now.

Learn more about the show at www.misfitentrepreneur.comand become a member of Misfit Nation by signing up for the Misfit Minute, the FREE weekly email with specific resources from the week's "Misfit 3," and actionable tips and items from the world of Misfit Entrepreneurs. It is delivered every Friday to your inbox!

Hello Misfit Nation! Welcome to another edition of "Lessons for Hannah!" In November of 2016, we introduced a new format that we are putting alongside our regular episodes called “Lessons for Hannah.” Hannah is my daughter and one of the main inspirations for the Misfit Entrepreneur. I wanted to have a place where she could go and learn from her daddy and his Misfit friends throughout her life….even after I am gone. If you haven’t listened to the first episode of "Lessons for Hannah," I urge you to as it gives some more background and tells the amazing story of how Hannah came to be in our lives.

"Lessons for Hannah" are short, very useful, and sometimes comical lessons, that I have learned which I want to share with you and give to Hannah to help in your lives. Because I want Hannah to have these for her life, I’m going to speak as though I am talking directly to her. These episodes are a lot of fun and if you think there is a lesson that we should include in these episodes, please don’t hesitate to send it over to us at support@misfitentrepreneur.com. We’d love to share it.

This week’s Lesson for Hannah

Hannah, As I record this lesson, the world is going through an incredible and challenging time. The Wuhan Coronavirus or COVID -19 is sweeping the world and literally causing almost every major country to shut down, including the United States. I know you will have some memory of this event when you are older, but I wanted to document as much of it as I could for you as of the middle of March 2020.

First, for historical purposes, it is important to know how we got to where we are at the moment that I’m doing this lesson. In December 2019, China announced that it had detected an outbreak of a new type of virus in its Hubei province, with a concentration in the city of Wuhan. As of today, there are multiple theories on how it started and right now the leading one is it came from an exotic animal that are bought in markets and eaten in China. Now, we’ve had these types of things happen before in my lifetime. The most notable virus events are SARS, Ebola, MERS, H1N1 – the swine flu, and Mad Cow disease. And because these events did not rise to the level of a pandemic (we’ll talk some stats in a minute), they seemingly came and went without any of the things we are now seeing states and countries do.

Continuing the timeline, it looks more and more like China delayed telling the world that this was happening for a period of time and people were freely allowed to travel in and out of Wuhan. This allowed the virus to spread across the world, very much un-impeded into January. In late January, the United States shut down all travel to and from China as it became apparent that a large epidemic was breaking out. An epidemic is an outbreak of a virus or disease that is localized. A pandemic is one that is worldwide.

As we got into February, things really began to take hold in other Asian countries like South Korea and Europe, especially Italy. At this point, governments around the world began to take more drastic measures and over the next few weeks leading up to today, extraordinary things have been done. These things include, shutting down all travel both inside and to and from countries, quarantining people in their homes, shutting down schools, restaurants, bars, and basically anywhere people can gather. Almost all major sports have come to a complete stop and just about every aspect of life has been touched in some way.

The stock market has crashed into a bear market and fear is gripping nations.

The Coronavirus has symptoms like the flu but is especially dangerous for the elderly which is the group with the most fatalities. Now, at this time worldwide, just over people have been infected with about 60% of them recovering and getting back to normal. About 7500 people have died.

I would be remised If I did not put some context around this. While no one getting sick or dying from something like this should ever be taken lightly, I hope that the extraordinary measures being taken do limit the impact for the world at this time. But with 250,000 infected and 7 billion people on earth, an infinitely small number of people are getting this currently. You can do the math, but it is a decimal point with a lot of 0’s after it. The last major event like this was the H1N1 or swine flu outbreak in 2009/2010. Over the course of a year, 60 million Americans were infected, 12,000 died, and the government did not respond near to what we are seeing today.

At the present time, there are about 12000 people infected and just under 200 have died in the US.

So, why are we seeing the drastic action that is basically shutting down the world and potentially plunging it into a depression?

My truthful answer is that I don’t know. We are being told that the virus is highly contagious and that may be part of the reason. The governments of the world must know much more about this virus than we do to be getting the reaction we are. My other thought is that H1N1 happened a decade ago and while we had the internet, things like Smart phones were just being released for the first time and social media was just beginning. Information did not move as fast back then as it does today and while the speed of information can make our lives easier and offer a lot of great benefits, it also has the ability to be destructive in its ability to work effectively like a virus and permeate quickly through the world. So, when someone panics, many others can follow suit much faster. I think this is why we are seeing people get into fights over toilet paper – sheer panic has gripped them.

So, what lessons can I teach from where we are to date?

First, I am developed my thoughts for this episode while sitting in airport. I took all precautions we have been told to take like using hand sanitizer and wiping things down, not touching my face, etc. But, I don’t believe in emotional panic. I believe in using logic and methodically working through things. There is a chance that I can get this virus, just like there is for everyone. In fact, many of the pandemics from the past are still with us, we’ve just created vaccines and our bodies have created ways to fight them. In fact, the Spanish Flu which happened in the 1920’s and was one of the worst most devastating pandemics ever, killing millions is still with us – most of us have had it. It’s just another strain of the flu. And while we are on the subject of the flu, the common flu will kill 30-40,000 Americans this year alone. It does every year. This is why it is important to me to have perspective and not blindly follow a tweet or a post of panic from someone online. That is a big lesson in and of itself.

Speaking of perspective, the next lesson is that perception is reality for people. Whether you agree with the responses that are taking place or not, it is the reality we must deal with because it is happening. Governments and many people perceive this virus to be worse than things like what we saw with H1N1 and others and whether that materializes or not, the events leading us to where we are have happened. This is an important lesson in that what people perceive and believe in their life becomes their reality. You must understand this in people and for yourself. And it will be people’s perception and belief that things are getting better that will bring us out of this time. Belief is a double-edged sword that can be used for positive and negative. Make sure you use it for the positive as much as possible.

Another lesson is that during hard times, there are still tremendous opportunities. There are amazing deals in the market right now to pick up stocks at fire sale prices. Mortgage rates are at all-time lows for personal and investment property. In my businesses, there is opportunity to gain market share where others are pulling back. Some of the largest businesses we know about today like Hewlett Packard, Allstate Insurance and others, got their start during the Great Depression – there is always opportunity around us if we are willing to look for it and stay grounded. Now, I’m not saying we are in another great depression, but the world will suffer from the effects of this for some time and those that know how to keep their emotions in check, are prepared, and take action on opportunity when it presents itself will do very well.

Lastly, be there for people. Be a voice of reason and understanding. A shoulder to lean on. Listen to others and help them through their challenges as best you can. Give logical insight and stay grounded in facts and not emotional reactions. There are times for emotion and empathy for sure, but not if it makes things worse for you and for others. Make sure the messages you deliver are helpful, move things forward, and lift them up. This is great advice not just times of turmoil, but at all times in our lives.

Hannah, this time will pass, and we will emerge stronger, smarter, and more prosperous in all areas of our lives than we were before. That I have no doubt. I will continue over the next few Lessons to Chronicle this event and share new lessons from it as they become apparent. Just use the knowledge you gain and the lessons you learn from this period to be a light in the world and positive force in all you do.

I love you, Daddy

Best Quote: Belief is a double-edged sword that can be used for positive and negative. Make sure you use it for the positive as much as possible.

Misfit 3:

In times of turmoil and panic, perspective is very important to keep. Stay logical and beware emotional reactions.

During hard times, there is still always opportunity for those who stay grounded and look for it. You just have to take action when it comes.

Be there for others and help them through tough times. Be a light in a world of darkness.

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is JB Glossinger. JB holds an MBA and Ph.D. and is the founder of Morning Coach, a daily podcast that has been downloaded over 40 million times! But, even with all the education and advanced degrees, he still credits his “street education” with providing the life-changing lessons that have helped change the lives of hundreds of thousands around the world.

JB left a successful corporate role to to create the life he wanted built around his passions, family, golf, and writing – all within a 3-hour workday. As he achieved this goal, he wanted help other entrepreneurs and business owners turn their dreams into reality and has done so through the morning coach, his masterminds, books, and events.

By working to align his mission, values, and goals, JB has been able to create the life of his dreams and help others to do the same. In this episode, I’ve asked him on to teach you how to do it for yourself.

Go to www.MorningCoach.com/Misfit for free gifts from JB!

JB is from a blue collar family in Indiana and went to school to get his degree – which took him about 6 years. He then ran health clubs for a while, but somehow ended up in the aviation industry.

JB tells the story of how he responded to an ad in the paper to sell helicopter engines because he thought it was cool. He wrote a letter to the CEO instead of sending a resume. He got a call back. He went and met with the CEO one on one because the CEO wanted meet the person who “Wrote the worst letter he’s ever read.” But, they ended up hitting it off and JB got the jobs. So, as JB says, the worst letter he ever wrote got him into aerospace for 15 years.

This led to him buying and selling jumbo jets around the world, making 10x as much as his parents, but was completely miserable. He knew there was more than the job he was doling.

He decided to write a book. He quit his job and spent his savings on ordering the books, spending $5k on an image consultant. And he thought you just went out and started speaking. He quickly found out that things were much harder than he thought. He didn’t sell any books. It was a disaster. He even paid to speak at events and didn’t sell books.

It was depressing. IT lead him to a an evening where a buddy and him were drinking and wallowing in his failure and the friend suggested that his information was good and that he should just a morning message. That was when JB went and found morning coach. He was broke and losing his home. He built a website in a weekend with an opt-in. He started it as a live call each morning and it filled up quickly.

He then read about podcasting and decided to put it out as a podcast. After about 50 shows, iTunes spotlighted his show and we went to 40,000 downloads a day. It was then his life began to shift.

At the 11 min mark, JB and I talk about the journey of an entrepreneur

We overestimate what we can do in a short time and underestimate what we can do in a longer time.

2-5 year plans and timeframes

Continuous knowledge and education is a must

Keep moving

At the end of the day, it is about your drive. It has to be about the product and the love and excitement of building something – not just the money.

Why are you the morning coach? What is it that is so important about the morning and success?

JB wasn’t a morning person.

It’s about our own growth.

As JB began to become the morning coach and get into the routine he needed to do for it, his life began to really change for the better.

Starting your day off with positivity and the right perspective will shift everything for you.

With discipline you don’t need motivation. Discipline is one of the greatest things we have. You have to find things that help you get there and keep you going.

At the 21 min mark, JB shares a story of a lady that used Morning Coach and its inspiration and message to get out of marriage of abuse.

With discipline, consistency, and persistence – and a big why, you really can get through anything and accomplish just about anything.

You wrote the Sacred Six. What are the Sacred Six?

JB tells the story of Carnegie and Ivy Lee and the 6 most important things.

It is about productivity.

Each day, you should have no more than 6 most important things to do. And each day, you should start with #1 and not move to #2 and so on until #1 is done, then #2, ,etc.

These are the Big 6.

Get a good mission. Establish goals.

Projects are what complete the goals.

Limit the projects to the most important and choose the 6 most important things each day to focus get those projects done.

You coach people all over the world every day, what is the process you take people through?

It depends on the individual

Every situation is custom to the person JB works with.

He works with everyone from Rock Stars and Movie Stars to executives and entrepreneurs.

The most important thing for a coach is to listen. Coach, don’t tell.

Listen first, then coach.

Are there any recurring themes you see across people?

Fear – people don’t really know what to do. They don’t know what step to take.

Lifestyle – How put the systems in place to help people have the life they want. ​

Explain metaphysics and how it fits into success and entrepreneurship?

It is the study of being. Why are we here and what is the reason we are doing what we are doing?

It translates to, what is your focus and why are you doing it? Are you doing the things to really change your life and get you where you want to go in 2-5 years.

Understanding and being here in the now and purposefully choosing doing the things to make the difference in the future.

This relates to everyone in their lives, especially building a business.

Talk about street education vs. formal education – why was it so important for your success?

After quitting college the first time, at 19 JB starting selling purfumes.

He would sell to 10 bottles making about $100/day.

He ended having 3 offices and making a ton of money until he found the product was fake.

But, he learned to hustle and make things happen.

Getting out there and doing it is where you learn everything whether you are selling perfume or a $180 million plane.

Life is not just the hustle, but about working smarter and not just harder.

Lazy general vs. intelligent general.

Selling 747’s? What did you learn?

Assumptive selling.

The #1 thing you can do is assume the sale.

You must believe in what you are selling to do this.

But if you do believe in it then why wouldn’t everyone need what you have.

You have to be prepared, understand your customer, make sure they are a good fit, etc.

You are selling yourself as well. Every no leads you closer to yes.

Assuming the sale is humble confidence.

What has playing golf taught you about life and business?

It made JB get over the guilt of not hustling all the time.

It forces you to find your true 20% that you should be doing and be focused.

It makes JB more efficient.

Having a reward that if you are good with your time and get the results the fastest is something that keeps you going.

Titleist or Nike? Titleist!

Best Quote: "With discipline you don’t need motivation."

JB's Misfit 3:

Keep it simple. Don’t overcomplicate anything.

Work with small numbers. 500 people at $167/mo is a million-dollar business.

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Megan Yelaney. Megan graduated valedictorian of San Diego State Business School in 2009. By 2012, she had started a network marketing business that wasn’t really making money was waiting tables in-between acting gigs and background work on film and television. She was barely making ends meet.

But, in just a short time, about a year, she turned everything around and created a million dollar business. How?

I’ve asked Megan to come on the show and tell her story of how she went from waiting tables and acting gigs to million-dollar entrepreneur – and teach you how you can do the same.

Megan was not an overnight success. It took her some time. When she graduated, she did the exact opposite of being practical and using her degree. She went to LA to pursue her dream of acting and fell into network marketing naturally because she was a user of the products. She didn’t treat like a business.

For 1.5 years she treated it like a hobby and made a little bit of money. But then, she had the moment where her life changed. She was at a conference for the company seeing all of these people having so much success and making huge amounts of money and they were no more talented than her. She realized she was sitting on a goldmine and decided to get serious. She committed deeply to personal growth and development. This helped her to better believe in herself and started her taking action.

After a year, she was able to quit all her side jobs and soon after made over 6-figures and became top 50 in the company. But, she felt she had a calling to do more and could be more. She felt she had so much more to offer. It was at this time that company changed from physical products to more digital products and it cut her income almost in half. She decided in 2017 to go all in and start her own coaching and training business.

It was very humbling.

But within just two years, she now has a run rate of over $1 million for 2020.

Why do “pretty” and “awkward” have such big meaning for you?

It started because she was actually making fun of the health and wellness industry.

It happened when she attempted to do a specific type of pose and called it ridiculous, etc. and it went viral.

It quickly made her realize that her authenticity was what resonated, not trying to do some awkward pose and act like she has some perfect, curated life.

Embrace your quirks and what makes you different.

It means building a brand by being yourself.

What were the actions you took to succeed and what do you teach others to do to succeed?

It’s very easy to put your business aside. Plan your business every week. Block in time for it. Don’t let it become “last on the list.”

Even if you have a job, schedule in at least an hour per day.

Once you block time, then you have to be very specific about what you will do with that time.

At the 16 min mark, Megan talks about she uses content in her business and the actions she takes with it….

It’s important to set themes by week and month.

You must use multiple types of content around the theme. (educational, story, side by side emotional connections, what you stand for/against – speak your mind).

Engage and ask questions of your audience and find out how you can help them and use their feedback.

Use the words from the feedback you are getting in your posts.

What do you find that works when it comes to content?

Repurpose everything in different ways.

Work weekly to two weeks out.

Have a theme for the week.

Start with a podcast or a blog as your anchor that the rest of the week’s posts go off of.

Megan does 4-5 social media posts and puts them across all platforms, but main medium is Instagram.

Free Facebook community where she does one video for them once per week.

Literally from one podcast, you get a blog, emails, social posts, and Instagram stories.

This avoid being overwhelmed.

Megan doesn’t use automations, except for scheduling in Facebook groups. Other she knows uses Plan, Hootsuite and Planily for Instagram.

Standard operating procedures are so important. Document everything to hand off to others.

Any other thoughts on how to get high tickets clients?

Form relationships with your audience and be curious.

Ask what kind of content people really need.

Be clear and willing to give before you get.

You cannot be fake and you cannot go straight to asking for business.

Following up with people once you have created value for free for them and formed great relationships is key to success.

Pay your dues and earn trust first.

At the 37 min mark, Megan talks about building teams and what helped her to do so in network marketing…

Knowing what motivates people and why they show up is critical.

The hard part is motivating people to continue to show up.

Having her team take personality tests like DISC tells a lot about how they are motivated and what they are motivated by.

Once you understand their personality and how to best work with them, you can create a better environment and help them succeed.

Other lessons learned from building a high level network marketing business that translate to your business today?

The people that keep showing up every day, even when they don’t want to, figure it out and find success.

Don’t disappear.

Consistency wins over any fancy strategy.

It must become habitual and people will become to expect it.

Open and honest communication – having hard conversations because you care is important and helps you build a team even better.

It also helps them to grow.

Coaching about helping people grow. Growth is uncomfortable.

What has your work in acting and film taught you that translates to entrepreneurship?

Definitely work ethic.

Preparedness.

Eating the elephant one bite at a time. Chunk things up. One step at a time.

“Overwhelmed is not having too much to do, it’s just not knowing where to start.”

One of the best ways to close sales calls is to hold the space for people to just talk and listen to them. Letting them know you are listening and there for them. Really hear people.

Best Quote: Overwhelmed is not having too much to do, it’s just not knowing where to start.

Megan's Misfit 3:

Always go deeper. Get past the surface level. You will connect at much higher levels with people.

Be consistent. Show up every day no matter how big or small it is and bring your best. Infuse joy into your daily tasks.

Go back to why you do what you do whenever you are frustrated. You’re here for a reason. You’re doing what you do for a reason.

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Jonathan Horton. Jonathan is a 2-time Olympian in gymnastics, winning a silver and bronze medal at the 2008 and 2012 games, he’s a 2 time U.S. national all-around champion, and a 17-time medalist at the U.S. national championships. And if that wasn’t enough, in recent years, he also took on American Ninja Warrior and became a perennial finalist there as well.

Jonathan wasn’t the most talented kid to walk through doors of a training facility, but was one of the most driven and dedicated, so much that he spent 28 years of his life in pursuit of excellence in gymnastics.

It’s the relentless pursuit and everything he’s learned along the way that I want to explore with him and share with you in this episode.

Jonathan’s journey is full of ups, downs, twists, and turns. When most people see an Olympian, a lot of times they think that they are just that talented or gifted and while some are, Jonathan was not. He struggled from the start and wasn’t quick to succeed. As he says, he is a slow learner and things took him longer.

He was passed up by a lot of kids early on. What he did have was a lot of energy and the ability to outlast. By the time he was 20 years old, he was #1 in the country and by 22, he was going to his first Olympics.

“You don’t need to have a lot of talent to be successful in this world.”

Jonathan shares that the one thing he was gifted with was a lack of fear. He took off when he was 4 years old in a Target with his mom, and he climbed to the rafters of the store. The next day his parents enrolled him in gymnastics.

Tell us about the pursuit. What is it that drives someone like you from an early age to stick with something to its pinnacle?

It was a specific moment that did it for Jonathan.

When he was 10 years old, he watched his first Olympics.

It was the 1996 Olympics and it was the moment when an injured Keri Strugg had to win the vault to secure the gold for the entire women’s team. She had a broken ankle.

She went for it anyway and landed on 1 foot and the women’s team won the gold.

He decided that he wanted that moment for himself.

From then on, everything changed. His work ethic, his focus, his ability to keep going, etc. all became about getting to that moment.

It wasn’t that he didn’t have challenges. He wanted to quick almost every single, but told himself he would come back the next day.

Everyone needs to find their “Olympic moment” in their lives….

What is it that makes someone finally decide to go for true greatness and not turn back? How does find that point and make the decision and do it?

All of the above.

We all have different lives and thus our “switch to flip” is different.

You have to actively search for it, you can’t wait for it to come to you. You have to search for it and go after it.

At the 13:30 mark, Jonathan gives an example using the High Bar where he talks about “waiting for the bar to come to him vs. coming to the bar.”

You have try a number of different things, even if you don’t know if that is your thing or not. That is how you find your true calling.

At the 19 min mark, we talk about how when you are able to go through failures and keep going, it gets easier.

You have to not be afraid to try something that may not work.

You train yourself over time to cope with that fear each time differently.

It is an up and down roller coaster that you get used to and become less fazed by.

Tell us about the mental side and how you mentally prepare for success….

Jonathan would look calm on the outside, but had tremendous anxiety on the inside.

Jonathan tried to eliminate, but over time realized he couldn’t do it….so he embraced it.

Embracing it shifted his ability to perform.

He embraced being nervous and anxious and made it part of his routine. He turned it into adrenaline.

This was the game changer for him. He began to train every day trying to make himself nervous to prepare himself for the real compensation.

“Practice like you compete and compete like you practice.”

At the 27:30 mark, I share a story of a discussion I had with an Olympic hopeful for this year and relate it to the mental game. Jonathan talks about his coach used to deliberately try to distract him while practicing as a technique to help him focus better and overcome anxiety.

Tell us about the importance of the “little things” and the difference they can make…

Fundamentals are key and underpin everything you do.

Even in his last days, Jonathan would still spend 30 mins before every session working on the fundamentals of forward and backward rolls, hand positions, etc.

This separated the good Olympians from the great Olympians.

Do a little bit every day, focusing on the details/fundamentals and it is amazing the difference it makes.

What are some of the key takeaways from your book Falling Forward?

It’s Jonathan’s autobiography.

The discipline it takes to rise to the top is the hardest part. Doing the same routine over and over and over again every day and doing it at your very best, 6 days a week, every week, for years – that is what it takes.

There are days where you don’t want to do anything, anything! You have to get up and go.

How did the lessons you learned about succeeding at the Olympic translate to Entrepreneurship?

The biggest one is to learn is to stay in your own lane and not compromise your own game plan.

You have stick with your game plan and not worry about the others.

You are going to have great moments and bad moments, but eventually you will get to the end of your race. ​

Final thoughts?

For younger entrepreneurs – Stop Trying to Be Cool!

You can cool yourself all the way to nothing.

If you want to be successful, throw out being cool, and be laser focused on what you want. Don’t let trying to fit in get in your way, even if people make fun of you or give you crap because of it.

Best Quote: Practice like you compete and compete like you practice.

Jonathan's Misfit 3:

Nothing worth doing will be easy. Stick with it.

You don’t need to be the most gifted or talented to succeed.

You need a will, desire, and faith in yourself. If you want to be great at something, you have to be willing to do what others are not.